That was ugly…
James Johnson, PF 21 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 2 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | -15 +/-Johnson had a few impressive blocks (including one to open the game), but outside of that was merely present in the game. He provided some good defense, and hit the Raptors’ only field goal of the first quarter. Despite having the best field goal percentage in the league since February 1, James somehow attempted just three shots on a night where none of his teammates could hit anything. | |||||||||
Patrick Patterson, PF 22 MIN | 2-5 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 4 PTS | -24 +/-Didn’t shoot well, didn’t defend well, didn’t attack the boards, and easily had the worst plus/minus on the team if not for garbage minutes at the end of the game. | |||||||||
Jonas Valanciunas, C 27 MIN | 2-4 FG | 3-6 FT | 12 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 7 PTS | -10 +/-Valanciunas missed some shots at the rim, but he battled hard on the boards and finished with a team high 12 rebounds. I’ve liked the recent development that we’ve seen from Valanciunas. Fighting hard for position, defending the pick and roll less aggressively (getting beat less, but still able to challenge due to length), and making some smart passes to open shooters. | |||||||||
Kyle Lowry, PG 19 MIN | 1-7 FG | 2-2 FT | 2 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 4 PTS | -31 +/-Lowry played like garbage, just like almost everyone else. The difference is that we expect more from him. He has played terrible as of late, but this was his worst of the bunch. Toronto needs Lowry to fix this, and should hope he can find his game against the Knicks and 76ers over the next few days. | |||||||||
DeMar DeRozan, SG 26 MIN | 4-16 FG | 6-6 FT | 3 REB | 0 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 3 TO | 14 PTS | -12 +/-DeRozan made a concerted effort to get to the bucket early in the game, but unfortunately Andrew Bogut exists and was available for the Golden State Warriors tonight. Bogut shut down the paint and provided the Warriors with exceptional help defense, challenging every shot at the rim. DeMar missed his first 10 shots, but hit a spinning mid-range jump shot for his first basket of the night. 4-for-16 just won’t cut it. | |||||||||
Tyler Hansbrough, PF 9 MIN | 1-2 FG | 4-4 FT | 5 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 6 PTS | -7 +/-Had a plus/minus of minus 5, which was good for the team lead, but most important actually took a swing at Ezeli. I liked the running effort on the swing. Psycho-T was the only Raptor to have legitimate fight on the night. | |||||||||
Amir Johnson, PF 22 MIN | 4-7 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 8 PTS | -18 +/-Felt weird to see Amir come off the bench. The starters appeared to struggle without his screen setting to help them, but Amir made up for it by contributing an illegal screen/offensive foul his first time down the court. Amir even managed to score a bucket for the Warriors early in the second quarter. It wasn’t his best night, but I still like the Raptors bringing him off the bench for the time being. | |||||||||
Terrence Ross, SF 24 MIN | 7-14 FG | 1-2 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 1 TO | 18 PTS | -9 +/-I don’t know who was wearing Ross’ jersey tonight, but I liked what I saw. He chased Klay and Steph hard around screens, attacked the basket (even committed an offensive foul), and had his outside shot falling. There were positive signs all over Ross’ game tonight, and he was easily the best Raptor on the court (outside of Hansbrough…but that’s just because he tried to take a swing at someone). For reference, midway through the second quarter Ross had as many field goals as the rest of his teammates combined (3). | |||||||||
Greg Stiemsma, C 7 MIN | 1-1 FG | 0-0 FT | 1 REB | 0 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 2 PTS | +6 +/-Well…Greg played. | |||||||||
Chuck Hayes, C 7 MIN | 2-3 FG | 0-0 FT | 2 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +6 +/-…So did Charles. | |||||||||
Greivis Vasquez, PG 25 MIN | 1-6 FG | 0-0 FT | 4 REB | 4 AST | 1 STL | 0 BLK | 2 TO | 2 PTS | -2 +/-Didn’t shoot well, but also didn’t force much. His four assists would have likely made him and Amir the only Raptors with more than one, if not for a few late assists earned by Lou Williams. When Vasquez looks like the team’s best point guard in a game against a Western Conference powerhouse, it’s safe to say that the Raptors did not walk away feeling good about their game. | |||||||||
Landry Fields, SG 5 MIN | 2-2 FG | 0-0 FT | 0 REB | 1 AST | 0 STL | 0 BLK | 0 TO | 4 PTS | +2 +/-Was nice to see Fields make it into the game. Would have liked to see him attempt at least one three pointer with his left hand…couldn’t have been worse than his teammates. | |||||||||
Louis Williams, SG 26 MIN | 2-7 FG | 7-8 FT | 4 REB | 3 AST | 1 STL | 1 BLK | 3 TO | 12 PTS | -6 +/-Lou’s shot wasn’t falling, and he doesn’t provide the team with much else. Williams got to the line a team high 7 times, but the rest of his game was non-existent. | |||||||||
Dwane Casey Casey got in my good books the moment he bench the entire starting lineup just 3:33 into the third quarter. The Raptors played with no intensity and failed to show up. I have my beefs with Casey, but I liked a lot of the things he did tonight, starting with putting Patterson into the starting lineup. I can’t blame tonight’s dumpster fire on him. Plus, I’m impressed that he didn’t force his way into two technical fouls so that he could take the night off like the rest of his team. | |||||||||
Five Things We Saw
- Raptors went just 1 for 19 in the first quarter, and somehow managed to be down by just 16 going into the second. Impressive accomplishment considering they shot just 5.3 percent to open the game. No team has shot a worse percentage in a quarter (non overtime) since 2010
- Draymond Green managed to get himself a technical despite being up 22-9. That’s a special level of intensity from the soon-to-be restricted free agent. He would fit incredibly well on this Raptors roster, but it won’t happen. I just wanted to write this because the night didn’t suck enough.
- The Raptors honored Mo Pete as part of their 20th Anniversary, and it was the only opportunity the fans in attendance had to applaud. What made it all the more fitting on a night where few things went well, was the fact that Rod Black was attempting to interview Jon Montgomery courtside at the same time.
- With over four minutes remaining the Raptors had a lineup of Lou Williams, Landry Fields, James Johnson, Charles Hayes, and Greg Steimsma…
- Shout-out to Zarar for the very fitting lead picture.